I am trying to decide if I want to buy the Panasonic VDR-M53 DVD Palmcorder for small family events. Should I get a miniDV or DVD camcorder?
Only if you don't plan on doing any editing, you could opt for a DVD camcorder. You can record and directly put the DVD in a DVD player. If you plan on doing any editing (cutting away scenes, put some titles on it or add some music) I certainly would choose miniDV. Check this: http://www.digitalvideoclub.com/basics/camcorder.php